Taliban Faces Intense Resistance In North Fighting Spreads Across Afghan Provincial Capital

This northern provincial capital erupted in factional fighting Tuesday, three days after coming under the control of the Taliban Islamic militia.

Street fighting that began in the morning between forces of the Taliban, a radical Sunni Muslim movement that now controls about 90 percent of Afghanistan, and minority Shiite Muslims in a northeastern neighborhood had spread across this heavily armed city of 200,000 by late evening and continued after nightfall.

It was unclear exactly who had become involved in the fighting as it grew more intense; the firefights were too widespread to involve only the small number of Shiites here.

Speculation that the Taliban may in fact be battling the forces that helped it capture Mazar - former forces of factional leader Abdurrashid Dostum who defected to the Taliban late last week - was supported by witness reports that the Taliban’s new allies fired on Taliban militiamen retreating from a Shiite neighborhood called Syad Abod.

The dusty streets were deserted as small-arms fire crackled and red tracer bullets streaked between the quadrants of a city divided by four avenues leading from a historic Muslim shrine honoring a relative of the Prophet Muhammad.

An aid worker said the Shiites killed at least six Taliban guerrillas in the morning battle, which provoked the Taliban into sending truckloads of reinforcements and tanks into the neighborhood later in the day.

The battles raised questions about the Taliban’s ability to control and pacify the north now that the three-year-old movement has taken control of nearly all of the country and is close to ending a civil war that began eight years ago with the withdrawal of the Soviet army.

In bringing Afghanistan’s factional fighting to an end, Taliban also has imposed a harsh brand of Islam across the country, severely restricting personal liberties and effectively banning women and children from education and employment.

A contingent of about 2,500 Taliban has been here since Sunday, a day after forces under the command of Abdul Malik took control of this city.

Malik had been a top lieutenant of Dostum, a factional leader and foe of the Taliban who operated a ministate that stretched across six northern provinces.